Charges Against 5 In Deadly Robbery Go To Grand Jury

December 17, 2008|By JON CAWLEY, jcawley@dailypress.com 247-4635

NEW KENT — Robbery-related charges against five current and former Bruton High School students in connection with a botched Lanexa home invasion that resulted in another student's death will be heard by a grand jury in January.

At the conclusion of a joint preliminary hearing in New Kent General District Court on Tuesday afternoon, Judge R. Bruce Long certified felony attempted robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery charges against Reuben Tynes, Derek Moore and Kodie Tyler.

One charge each of felony conspiracy to commit robbery was certified against John Chaffin and Robert Perez. All are 18 and are high school seniors or recent graduates. All but Tyler have been out on bond and appeared in court wearing street clothes. Long granted Tyler a $25,000 bond at the conclusion of the hearing Tuesday.

The charges against them stem from an Oct. 14 incident in which Christopher Greene, also 18, was killed outside a house where just over $1 million in marijuana was later found growing in a hidden room.

According to testimony Tuesday by two New Kent Sheriff's Office investigators and Moore, the men went to 15600 Pocahontas Trail to rob the resident. Greene was shot in the chest by someone inside the residence after he kicked open a back door.

Moore, who waived his right to a preliminary hearing and was the only defendant to testify Tuesday, said he went to the house with Tyler, Tynes and Greene to steal marijuana from the house's occupant.

Moore said Chaffin provided him the location of a house where a dealer had pillowcases full of pot in exchange for half of the robbery's proceeds. Perez's job was to drive Moore and Greene prior to the incident to New Kent to show them the location of the house, Moore said.

According to testimony, Tynes remained in the car during the incident, but the prosecutor suggested he acted as a getaway driver. Moore testified that the group hoped to be able to steal the marijuana while the resident was not home. When it turned out that someone was there, Moore and Tyler tried to back out, Moore testified.

But Greene produced a shotgun that had been concealed in his pants' leg and kicked open a back door. Someone inside slammed the door shut and when Greene kicked it open again, Moore testified he saw two flashes and Greene fell to the ground.

Since the shooting, the New Kent Sheriff's Office has sought the home's resident, 56-year-old John Steven Carter.

After the hearing, New Kent Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney R.A. Del Rossi said Carter had been wanted for six years in Florida in connection with a large-scale marijuana growing operation.